Brahms: Symphony No 1; Haydn Variations

Advantages: A work that changed the way we look at symphonies
Disadvantages: none whatsoever

...contemplated suicide, so emotionally expressed in the so-called "Heiligenstadt Testament" in 1802. But Beethoven lived on and, because of the isolation he felt due to his condition and his natural impulsiveness, he managed to evolve in a completely original way. His Second Symphony written at that time already shows his fiery temper in its early form. As the First Symphony was still firmly rooted in the accepted Classical mold of Haydn, the Second caused wondering and even fear among the people that first heard it (one critic compared it to a dragon that refuses to die). With this in mind, one really can only wonder at what Beethoven's next symphony must have felt like for the audiences of the time (after all that kind of a sensation can hardly be expected of us today). Beethoven had for some time been interested in Napoleon, whom he saw as a great... Read review

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Advantages: Pleasant melodies, good structure
Disadvantages: not terribly adventurous in harmony

...Franz Joseph Haydn's music is interesting as it is pleasant to listen to. Although he is actually Austrian, most of Haydn's music was written in Hungary for Prince Esterhazy's twice weekly dinner parties. Which meant that many of Haydn's symphonies and string quartets were written in less than four days - quite an achievement, when you consider the length of time his contemporaries spent writing similar works. Haydn wrote and conducted high standard early classical style classics for a small group of musicians who were employed by the Prince. And it is in many of Haydn's pieces that we can begin to have an insight into the life of him and his musicians. For example, the "Surprise Symphony" was written with the party gusts in mind. It begins in a plodding, slow mesmerising rhythm, which the already bloated and drowsy guests would... Read review

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Advantages: A new way to hear Beethoven
Disadvantages: Surpassed by some later period cycles

...INTRODUCTION Beethoven's nine symphonies cover one of the major cornerstones of symphonic literature along with the likes of Haydn, Brahms and Sibelius. Beethoven was born in turbulent times when the common people's dissatisfaction toward the ruling monarchs in Europe was reaching new heights which finally culminated in the French Revolution in 1789. Against this came Beethoven, who was born into a family of musicians in Bonn in 1770. His father wanted to coin in on the child prodigy market created by Mozart whose father had exploited his genius in a similar way. But Beethoven was no Mozart. He wasn't born a child progidy and his performing skills were nowhere near as natural as they were with Mozart. Still he made rapid progress as a piano virtuoso and an amateur composer. He was even supposed to take some lessons with Mozart in Wien... Read review

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